Zelenskyy congratulates Nicușor Dan on winning Romania's presidential election

The head of state congratulated Dan on his "historic victory in Romania’s presidential elections." According to Zelenskyy, "for Ukraine - as a neighbour and friend - it is important to have Romania as a reliable partner. And we are confident we will."

"By working together, we can strengthen both our countries and our Europe. We will always have great respect for Romania and its people, especially given the support we received during the most difficult period in our history. Dear Romanians, you can count on Ukraine as a good neighbor and partner. We can overcome any challenge if we are united and strong," Zelenskyy wrote.

The president added that he looks forward to the further development of the strategic partnership between "our friendly nations for the sake of their stability, security, and prosperity."

Early presidential elections in Romania

Romania’s scheduled presidential elections took place in November 2024. Following the first round, the far-right, pro-Russian candidate Kelein Georgescu won, despite low chances before the vote.

Later, Romanian intelligence agencies uncovered evidence of external interference in Georgescu’s campaign through manipulations. Because of this, in December, the country’s Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results.

In early May 2025, Romania held the first round of the now early presidential elections. The far-right candidate George Simion received 40.96% of the vote, while the pro-Western candidate and current Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan gained 20.99%.

On Sunday, May 18, the second round of voting took place. According to the citizens’ will, Dan received over 54% of the vote, while Simion got 45.27%. Thus, Nicușor Dan will become Romania’s new president.

At the same time, Simion disagrees with these results, declared himself president, and called on his supporters to protest across the country on Monday, May 19, to "prevent the theft of victory from the Romanian people."